


Loose Lips Sink Ships

by Gcgraywriter



Series: Paneville [9]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Confessions, Divorce, F/M, Meeting the Parents, Tea, Veritaserum, forced confession
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-19
Updated: 2020-11-19
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:08:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,886
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27632516
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gcgraywriter/pseuds/Gcgraywriter
Summary: Prompt 12 - TeaA nice calm meeting with the in-laws...
Relationships: Neville Longbottom/Pansy Parkinson
Series: Paneville [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1721938
Comments: 4
Kudos: 15
Collections: Paneville





	Loose Lips Sink Ships

**Author's Note:**

> I blame this all on theUltimateUndesirable!!! The tea was her idea which she used in her wonderful Rarry fic "A challenge of Friendship. this was very loosely inspired by her fic.

“They’ll be here any minute,” Pansy stressed as she brushed down her flawless dress. Neville smiled indulgently as he tied the bow tie at Logan’s throat. 

“Why do we have to wear these?” The small boy asked in disgust. 

“Your grandparents are very strict, and Mommy wants you to look your best.” He explained as he combed the sandy hair straight and smiled. Logan wasn’t appeased as he frowned grumpily, the way only a seven-year-old can. Meanwhile, Zinnia ran circles around the large white sofa, her lacey peach dress floating behind her in the wind. 

“Zinnie, darling,” Pansy said, hooking her arm around her waist as she ran part. “Please calm down, Grandmama and Grandfather will be here soon,” The little girl squealed excitedly in her arms. “I’m going to throttle that so-called friend of min, the wicked snake in the grass! I bet Millie fed them up with sugar!” Pansy sighed as she tried to straighten her daughter’s hair. “You going to be a good girl?” She asked sternly as she tried to straighten one of the hairclips in her raven locks. 

“Yes, Mommy.” She said sweetly, but the devilish look on her face told Neville that she didn’t mean a word of it. 

“Zinzin,” Neville called, distracting the girl as he scooped her up in his arms as she ran at him. “Good girl, remember?” he warned seriously, “Otherwise there will be no baking later,”

“Awww,” She pouted with disappointment. 

“That’s not fair, I want cakes!” Logan complained. There was a chime at the chimney which signalled their appearance. Pansy brushed her dress down again as she waited for them stiffly. 

“Look, you two, if you can be on your best behaviour until your grandparents leave, I will let you bake whatever you want, but only if you’re on your best behaviour!” he promised. They both nodded and slowly moved towards the doorway of the kitchen and towards the fireplace. Neville took a deep breath, and he gathered his strength and pasted a smile on his face as he followed them to greet his inlaws. Pansy stood rigidly waiting for her parents to appear from the floo when Neville stepped up next to her. He grinned and placed a kiss on her temple. “Least you managed to get rid of your boyfriend in time,” he smirked as her cheeks flooded red. 

Mr and Mrs Parkinson were a strange couple both individually and together. Pansy looked nothing like her Mother beside the odd angle in her quirked eyebrow or the bend in her lips mid-smirk, her eyes were a deep glacial blue and equally as cold. She nodded as she offered her hand. Neville took and kissed it in greeting before shaking her father’s hand. 

There was no love lost between them. Neville had never been the suitor her father had desired as a partner for his daughter, however here they both were trying to remain civil. Pansy looked so much like him from hair so black it had blue highlights to the pale grey eyes. 

“Pansy, darling. Are you feeling well? You look flushed,” Calliope stated, moving her daughters head left and right to get a better look. “I hope your husband is looking after you correctly, you have such a delicate constitution after all.”

“Neville, Mother!” Pansy insisted as she extracted her face from the pincer-like fingers of her Mother. “and of course he is!” She said as the children hovered around her legs. 

“And how are my two favourite people?” She asked, and she lowered herself to hug her grandchildren. It had been a surprise to all of them when Calliope had taken such a shine to the grandchildren, especially when she and Pansy had been so estranged. The eye-roll from Linden Parkinson was almost audible at the inappropriate display of affection. 

“Hi Nana,” They said in unison as Zinnia grinned before placing a delicate kiss against the woman’s cheek.

“Hi Nana,” Logan said, kissing her hand too glancing up at Neville for confirmation. Neville gave a minute nod. Calliope smiled her approval before pulling them both in for an informal hug. 

Neville and Pansy glanced at each other. As much as it pleased him that his children were loved and had at least one set of grandparents that could engage with them, Pansy felt salty about her own upbringing. 

“Pansy, be a dear and put on the tea, I’ve heard wonderful things about it,” She pulled out a small box before handing it to her daughter. Pansy nodded, offering a tight smile before heading into the kitchen. 

“So, Neville, How are you?” Calliope asked as she straightened up from the children. 

“I’m well, thank you, and yourself?” He asked curiously as he offered her a seat. 

“Satisfactory,” She nodded as she took the armchair closest to the children. She turned her attention to them again as she pulled treats out of her handbag before handing them over to their waiting hands. 

Neville groaned inwardly hoping that it wasn’t more sugar-filled rubbish that would have them bouncing from the walls. 

“How is work in the Auror office? Pansy told us you were hurt not too long ago?”

“I was, nothing too serious, though, as you can see.” He said with a smile “work is as busy as usual. How about you?” He asked, throwing the question back to the both of them. 

“My investments are maturing beautifully.” Calliope replied, “And Linden has been doing some very important work recently, financing a new department within the ministry.”

“Ah, yes, I heard about that,” Neville nodded. There was very little he hadn’t heard about the new wing of the ministry, especially as they were considering him for promotion. It was supposed to be a new area of the Aurors that was slightly more militarised and specialised. If the branch had existed during the second war, the Aurors wouldn’t have been quite so out of their depth. 

They watched him as though waiting to find out more information from him. He smiled politely as if he were waiting for more. 

“And, how is school, my darling cherubs?” Calliope turned to ask the children. They nodded before Zinnia climbed on her lap, chattering about nonsense and school. Neville turned to Linden who remained standing as he leant on the mantlepiece. They caught each other’s gaze before hurriedly looking away. It seemed that only Calliope enjoyed these meetings, and maybe the children. 

A tray hovered out of the kitchen as Pansy followed. She took one of the cups and saucers, handing it to her Mother, narrowing missing Zinnia, before giving one to Neville. Her father stepped forward and took his own before returning back to his spot by the fireplace. Pansy lowered the tray to the coffee table before taking her own and sitting down next to him. 

“So where did you find this tea, Mother?” Pansy asked, taking a tentative sip.

“I overheard someone at The Meduce talking about it, and it sounded divine,” She replied as she recalled her time at the famous teahouse. She took a sip and waited a moment as she judged the taste. Neville wasn’t sure she looked that impressed, but she smiled anyway. Neville took a small sip too and decided that it was alright, He could taste the Cleavers as well as the Hyssop and the Feverfew. As tisanes went, it had a wonderful and clean taste, but he wasn’t sure it was divine. Neville shrugged before taking another sip. He shot a glance to Pansy who shrugged too. 

“Children, would you mind going and playing in your bedrooms, the adults need to talk.” Pansy smiled. The children nodded. Logan was the first to disappear before Zinnia had climbed down off of Calliope’s lap. She waved before she too disappeared through the door. 

“So? What was so important that you insisted on coming over today?” Pansy asked, putting her half-finished cup of the table before folding her hands neatly in her lap. 

“We came to tell you that we’re getting divorced,” Calliope said flatly. 

The silence rang out as though someone had broken a priceless artefact. Even Calliope looked shocked at what had fallen from her mouth.

“What I mean to say is that your father and I hate each other.” Her eyes widened even further as she looked to Linden in surprise. He had grown grey and looked annoyed. 

“I’m not surprised.” Neville offered, feeling his cheeks grow red. Had he really just said that? He had been thinking it but had never dreamed of saying it. “I mean, you always seem so unhappy together.” He looked at Pansy who watched him with parted lips as though he had grown a second head. 

“Neville, what are you doing?” She asked. 

“I don’t know,” He admitted as he hid his embarrassment by sipping the tea again. 

“Father? Is this true?”

“It is, We loathe each other and now that you’ve married that blood traitor idiot and bore his children, there is no point us staying together any longer.”

“He is not a blood traitor or an idiot!” Pansy said, standing up. “he’s ten times the man you will ever be,” she said. Her own eyes widened as she clapped her hand over her mouth. 

Calliope started to laugh as she looked at Linden and Pansy. Her eyes closing as she tried to cover her mouth with a handkerchief. 

“Pansy? Tell me, why did you marry Neville?” She asked, finally looking slyly between them all. 

“Because I love him, he made me feel safe when no one and nowhere else did. He was also great in bed.” Her cheeks bloomed into an apple red as she sat back down, placing her tea down before she covered her face. Neville felt his ears warm at the admission. 

“And Neville, why did you ask Pansy to marry you?” Neville tried not to answer, but it was like the truth was being pried from his lips. 

“Because she was so beautiful inside and out. And she made me laugh when I thought nothing would ever be funny again. I love hearing her say my name when we make love.” He closed his eyes, feeling the heat spread across his face.

“Mother? What have you done?”

“It’s the tea. I didn’t expect it to work quite this quickly. It’s got veritaserum resin in each bag.” She turned to her husband and grinned sneakily. “Now, husband, Where have you hidden the rest of the money?”

Neville and Pansy watched as Linden fought with his answer

“We’ll leave you to it,” Pansy said as she stood up and pulled Neville with her. 

Once in the kitchen, they let out a breath as Pansy fumbled for the box of tea and read the description. 

“The sneaky cow!” she exclaimed. “It’s Randi’s special blend, ship-sinker tea. I remember Draco telling me about this a few months ago.” She shook her head and shuddered. Neville grinned

“So, we can’t lie to each other right now?” He asked, pinning her against the counter. 

“It would appear not,” she said with a grin. “why?”

“I just wanted to know how good am I in bed?” He raised his eyebrow as he watched her fight her answer before pulling him in for a kiss. 

“I married you, didn’t I?”

“You did indeed...”


End file.
